Three Possible Replacements For Jim Harbaugh
Although the 49ers' head coach is under contract through next season, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that his abrasive relationship with management has earned him his walking papers, despite three straight appearances in the NFC Championship. Harbaugh will be the most sought after coach at both the college and professional levels, with some reports stating that his alma mater, Michigan, have already offered him a six-year contract to be their coach that would pay him north of $8 million per year. What's the next move for the 49ers? Here is a short list of names to keep an eye on.
1. Chris Petersen, University of Washington
Let's start with a dark horse candidate. There haven't really been any whispers that involved Petersen's name as the next coach, but he's a reasonable fit. He's had success at every school at which he's coached, continuing Dan Hawkins' success at Boise State before moving on to Washington. Petersen is an offensive-minded head coach, and his creativity might be what it takes to salvage Colin Kaepernick.
2. Marc Trestman, Chicago Bears
Before you cringe, recognize this as a "connect-the-dots" situation rather than an endorsement of Trestman. There's a good chance he won't be back in Chicago, and although the Bears have struggled with quarterback Jay Cutler, Trestman still has a reputation as an offensive guru. He oversaw the most productive years of Rich Gannon's career in Oakland as both quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, with Gannon earning NFL MVP honors in 2002. Trestman also served as the Niners' QB coach and offensive coordinator for the 1995-'96 season.
3. Promoting From Within
Kinda cheating here, but there are at least three candidates currently employed by the team that have been mentioned as possibilities to replace Harbaugh: Eric Mangini, Vic Fangio, and Jim Tomsula. Let's start with Mangini, the team's current tight ends coach, who at least has head coaching experience (33-48 with the Browns and Jets). That's about where it ends in terms of "reasons Eric Mangini might replace Jim Harbaugh".
Tomsula took over the team on an interim basis when Mike Singletary was dismissed before the final game of the 2010 season. He's been the defensive line coach since 2007, a period which has seen the Niners' boast one of the toughest, most physical front lines in football. The biggest reason for hiring Tomsula as coach is that it would, ideally, be the best move to maintain continuity within the coaching ranks. Which leads to the final internal candidate: defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Losing Fangio could arguably be more harmful to the franchise than losing Harbaugh. While Harbaugh's offenses have been consistently inconsistent, Fangio's defenses have gone through injuries, suspensions, and players leaving in free agency - yet find themselves as a top five defensive unit, year in and year out. Chances are, if Tomsula is hired, it will be a step towards keeping Fangio on the staff. If Fangio is hired as head coach, well... that would be a really big step towards keeping him on the staff. The point here being that Vic Fangio is the most important coach on the staff, and Trent Baalke and Jed York know that.
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